[Wildfire_Jewel]

Before ya'll go up in arms at me over picking it up at all....I would have left them as the parents were right there but the teens at the trailer park were tormenting them. One we couldn't save as they shoved it down a pipe, one has a head injury and prob'ly won't make it (they were throwing things at it) and the third is doing well. We gave the healthy one at least 6 earthworms, some moths, flies, stawberries but I am just not sure if that is all I should be offering or how often I should feed them? The one with the head injury is talking but refuses to open it's mouth so I can't get anything into it. We have an outdoor cat here as well so letting htem learn to fly and fend for themselves is going to be a challenge. Any help would be appreciated!!
Thanks
Melissa

 

[Otter]

Hard boiled egg yolk for when you're short on worms, heavy whole grain bread soaked in milk in very tiny pieces. For the one who won't open, try to encourage him by stroking the bright yellow at the corner of his mouth. If he absolutely refuses then you can try some honey mixed with just enough water to make it runny given a very tiny drop at a time with an eye dropper. Just barely open his beak with a fingernail and moisten his tongue. But if he doesn't perk up there's probably a good reason, he's probably hurt inside and I've never been able to save one of those.

Set up a bird feeder and after they are well feathered put them in a cage outside where they can see it for a few days. Then open the cage door. The feeder should keep them hanging around until they find their wings. Flying up is pretty instinctive. put the feeder near a pine tree or something shrubby so they have some cover, but nothing with branches that sweep the ground or you've just given an ambush spot to the cat.

 

[Danaus29]

Canned cat food, open their mouths and shove it down just a little way until they swallow. You can also drop water into an open mouth with an eye dropper, just one drop at a time. Add fresh fruit as they get older.

Too bad you couldn't shove the kids down a pipe. There's something wrong with a person who tortures baby animals.

 

[Quint]

I've used catfood and egg yolk and milk and had some success. I also used a powder that you mix up. I got it from the vet. It really worked good. Can't tell you what it was other than it came in a white plastic bottle and had a blue label. It's been years since I've raised one.

You can successfully raise one. It just takes lots and lots of work and patience. I did it several times growing up with a couple of different species. Yeah I know it's illegal but I don't know of too many country or outdoor oriented kids who didn't at least try it once. One of the blue jays I raised I kept for quite some time. Smart bird too.

 

[mamahen]

Just be careful with water. They really don't need it if feed moist food. If you do give any, be sure to get it past the little "hole" in the back of the throat, it's windpipe.

I rescued 2 nests of babies orphaned by tree trimmers. They were featherless babes & we had the pleasure of releasing them back to the "wild"!

What's funny is the morning robin call coming from the birdroom demanding their morning worms! We would scatter worms & raspberries & let them hop & find them when they were older.

Good luck!

 

[stirfamily]

I raised a robin fledgling one summer. Fed it cat food soaked in water, chopped up raisins soaked in water, ground up cooked hamburger, pieces of cantalope, strawberries and blueberries, chopped up hard boiled egg. Even bought it some meal worms. It hung around for awhile after it grew up and would come every so often and perch on my shoulder but when the other robins left it did too. Every once in a while I still have a robin take a bath in the bird bath. No robin has ever did that except my fledgliing so maybe it's him.
karen in Indiana

 

[Tallabred]

I raised my cardinal by grinding puppy chow, finch pellets and kelp together. The idea is to get a 35% protein. I would then make a thin (thin enough to go into the syringe) warm paste out of it, put it in a syringe and feed him sideways(if to much came out it would just go out the other side).

Cat food would not grind up and soften like dog food.